1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shoe dryer for use in connection with drying and deodorizing shoes after use. The shoe dryer has particular utility in connection with drying moisture in shoes after wearing them for a long period of time. It also helps to kill bacteria that is trapped in the moisture and thus has utility in deodorizing shoes as well.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shoe dryers are desirable for quickly drying shoes when they become moist from perspiration or inclement weather. A shoe dryer allows one to quickly dry shoes so that they can be worn immediately. A shoe dryer also discourages bacteria to breed in the moist interior of the shoes thus eliminating disease and odor. Drying shoes immediately also contributes to a longer lifetime for the shoes since moisture contributes to material deterioration of shoes.
The use of dehumidifier devices is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,788 to Kuntz discloses a shoe and glove drying apparatus that consists of a hollow middle member with arms extending outwardly to place the shoes or gloves on. However, the Kuntz ""788 patent does not have the ability to deodorize shoes, and has further drawbacks of being unable to be stored in a convenient place that is out of the way.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,928 to Reithel discloses a dehydration device that is used to remove moisture from clothes, shoes and gloves. However, the Reithel ""928 patent does not deodorize shoes, and additionally is not compact enough to store easily.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,153 to Chen discloses a shoe dryer that removes moisture from shoes. However, the Chen ""153 patent does not deodorize shoes, and can only be used to dry one pair of shoes at a time, whereas the present invention can dry multiple pairs of shoes at a time.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,743 to Dawson discloses an apparel drying and deodorizing system that dries and deodorizes moist shoes and apparel. However, the Dawson ""743 patent is not easily storable, and has the additional deficiency of being unable to dry and store multiple pairs of shoes at one time.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a shoe dryer that allows for drying and deodorizing multiple pairs of shoes as well as storing them in a convenient place. The aforementioned patents describe devices that are bulky and occupy a considerable amount of space. The present invention can be mounted on a wall or door to occupy the least amount of space possible. In addition, it can be used as a shoe rack to store shoes when not in use thus providing even more free space in a person""s home. Few of the aforementioned patents contain deodorizing filters to help deodorize shoes while they are being dried. The present invention contains a deodorizing filter that ensures that the air being blown across the shoes is deodorized. Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved shoe dryer that can be used for drying and deodorizing multiple pairs of shoes as well as storing them. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the shoe dryer according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of drying and deodorizing shoes as well as storing them.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of dehumidifier devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved shoe dryer, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved shoe dryer which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a shoe dryer which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a device with a motorized fan assembly attached to a flat shoe rack with mesh pockets within which to place shoes. The device could be mounted to a wall or hung over a door so as to be stored in a convenient place. A power switch would be located at the top of the housing for the fan assembly. The power switch is connected to a power cord that can be plugged into any outlet to provide an electrical current to the device. When the power switch is engaged, air comes in through the air intake screen and passes through a deodorizing filter on its way into a fan intake duct. The air passes through the fan intake duct and is circulated through a fan blower. The fan blower blows the air through a baffle and out a fan discharge duct to an air discharge duct, which in turn blows the deodorized air across the shoes. When the unit is not in use, shoes can be stored within the mesh pockets. The unit is preferably three to five feet long, with the blower unit being approximately one foot long. The unit is approximately three feet wide and six to twelve inches deep.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include an optional timer mechanism to turn the device on and off automatically as opposed to the manual power switch. Additionally, the blower unit could be manufactured in different sizes. The shoe rack itself could be manufactured in different sizes to house different numbers of shoes. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved shoe dryer that has all of the advantages of the prior art dehumidifier devices and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved shoe dryer that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved shoe dryer that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such shoe dryer economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new shoe dryer that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe dryer for drying and deodorizing multiple pairs of shoes as well as storing them. Drying shoes prevents moisture from being trapped in shoes and breeding bacteria that could lead to disease and odor. Moist shoes also lead to material deterioration. Drying shoes quickly will also help extend the life of the shoes.